Some pieces of advice are so common they’ve become a cliché. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re invalid. If you’re trying to improve an area of your life, don’t start with exotic new trends. Stick with the basics at first.

If you've worked in an office, chances are you're surrounded by people who use cliched phrases like "touch base" and "circle back" every time they're in a meeting, delivering a presentation, or giving a speech. Whether or not these phrases once had meaning, they've long since lost their meaning for many. They've…